Definition: Light; words for light; the vocabulary of light; language of light

Light; words for light; the vocabulary of light; language of light

Photographers only know photography as much as they know light. The words that describe light are used to access its power, hardness or softness, shades, tones, hues and graduations. Every tiny flash of light has a description that applies to it. Every major light source has a name and a way to describe it. Talking the language of light is a way to be able to talk the language of photography. This vocabulary is not referring to the equipment, the techniques and actions of photography. It is the vocabulary of the description of light as we record it. To talk about light, understand it and describe it we need the proper words.

Below is a list of some of the adjectives of light. The descriptive words that will get you started on you journey to know light and to know how to talk about light.

Crepuscular: Resembling or pertaining to twilight; dim, semi-lit, at the edge of vision; indistinct;

Cast: re-emit, give off; diffuse; especially of a colour cast: to capture the colour from a surface; to re-broadcast diffuse light with a changed colour; redistribute with added colour; to scatter light and colour;

Dappled: mottled, spotted, patchy light; also, marks of this kind on a surface; of shadows patched with light.

Hue: light with the appearance of a source without being the actual source; light that bounces from a source giving a colour cast; a type of light or colour; a shade of colour; a tint or degree of lightness; a variation of the true colour; a tone or resonance of one wavelength of a coloured light; a light graduation; a blend of light or light colour;

Illuminating: bright, shining; emitting as a source; re-radiating as a fluorescence; highlighted by a source;

Illuminated: brightened; lit up; glowing or lit up from the light of an external source or spot light.

Shimmering: soft or wavering light or reflection; regularly varying in short periods; glowing in a wavering fashion;

Spangling: tiny, sharp, reflective or emitted points of light; similar to glittery/glittering.

Spectral: as if from a spectrum; a range of colors of the spectrum; ghostly, ghoulish, glowing; glimmering; a full spectral range of colours.

Specular: mirror-like reflection of light; reflecting detail; angle of incidence equals the angle of reflectance; reflected in a tightly controlled direction or trajectory; opposite of diffused reflection; surface reflectance of light exhibiting the image of the light striking the surface;

Sunlight: having the properties of, or actually being within the direct light of the sun; having a the cast of the suns colour; sunny; warm; summery; hot; intense; direct, hard, sharp; penetrating, unforgiving;

Translucent: diffused, or transparent; allows light, but not sight to pass through; objects that allow partial transmission of light emitted as diffused or scattered light; exiting light appears to glow and may have a colour cast depending on the material and its base colour;